Extend Macbook storage with Cloud storage

[tiimmbe]

Hello,

I'm running low on storage on my Macbook. The Photos app is responsible for almost 300GB out of 500GB.
I am looking for an easy and secure way to extend my Macbook storage.

I would like to sync each and every photo/video currently stored in Photos app to a cloud storage and delete them from internal memory without losing them in Photos which is synced to cloud.

Or as an alternative copy paste my Photos Library to a cloud drive easily accessible via Finder and delete the Photos Library on my Macbook. As a consequence it will only be accessible from the cloud location.


Thank you

Tim

 

[Zea74]

Hi,

I assume you'll be running Sierra or High Sierra on your MacBook, and have ample iCloud storage available (like the 2TB option).
If you go to 'About this Mac' (in the top-left Apple menu), and select storage, you'll see your current usage (documents, photos, ...). If you click on the right on 'Beheer' (or whatever the English word would be, but chances are you're also running your Mac in Dutch...), you get several options for cleaning up (by offloading to iCloud) your Mac - amongst which the top one - optimize photos.

DON'T start deleting your photos, but use the above option - it will significantly reduce your disk usage by having only a kind of thumbnails on your local drive, and if you wish to edit a picture, it'll download the full resolution from iCloud.

Alternatively, you COULD effectively upload your photos to something like Flickr (where you get 1TB for free), and approach them via the web on your Mac / Flickr app on your iOS device, and have the option of really deleting them from your photos app / disk, but then you also loose the iCloud features.

Good luck.

 

[tiimmbe]

Hi,

I assume you'll be running Sierra or High Sierra on your MacBook, and have ample iCloud storage available (like the 2TB option).
If you go to 'About this Mac' (in the top-left Apple menu), and select storage, you'll see your current usage (documents, photos, ...). If you click on the right on 'Beheer' (or whatever the English word would be, but chances are you're also running your Mac in Dutch...), you get several options for cleaning up (by offloading to iCloud) your Mac - amongst which the top one - optimize photos.

DON'T start deleting your photos, but use the above option - it will significantly reduce your disk usage by having only a kind of thumbnails on your local drive, and if you wish to edit a picture, it'll download the full resolution from iCloud.

Alternatively, you COULD effectively upload your photos to something like Flickr (where you get 1TB for free), and approach them via the web on your Mac / Flickr app on your iOS device, and have the option of really deleting them from your photos app / disk, but then you also loose the iCloud features.

Good luck.

Hi, thanks for the feedback.

I am running latest MacOS on my MacBook, but do not have a paid option of iCloud.
Any idea on what my 'win' could be in optimizing photos via iCloud offload option? Does this also count for videos? Otherwise paying 9,99 euro per month would not be interesting for me.

Uploading Photos to Flickr could be an option, but I would only be able to access it from Flickr via Safari, right? No Finder integration?

Thanks
Tim

 

[Lunder89]

If you are asking if videos stored in the Photos app are uploaded, then the answer is yes.

 

[tiimmbe]

I know they are stored in Photos app, but wanted to know if they also take effect when optimizing storage via iCloud Photo Library. The problem is, I do not know how many storage it will reduce from my MacBook, and this will only buy time right until I find a real solution.

The original photos/videos remain on local drive, what will happen when the local drive is full? I will then receive same error as I have today (storage disk full), with a 2TB storage flouting around? Why can we not copy each and every photo to iCloud and only access it when online?

 

[BrianBaughn]

If his MacBook is his only computer and he "optimizes" his Photos would the only place that contains the full-size photos be iCloud...and the full-size photos wouldn't be on any backups, such as Time Machine?